Friendship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Friendship - Essay Example It was not a pleasant experience because we were strangers to one another. Even though my uncle was not happy about our lack of knowledge of each other, he introduced us as first cousins after which we became friends. I was also able to meet other cousins during my stay in the city but my friendship with this particular cousin has grown beyond any other personal relationship that I have had and I, in this paper, look at friendship and the extent to which Akst’s writing applies to friendship and possible deviations. Basis of friendships Akst, in his article, noted Aristotle’s explanation of three forms of friendship: â€Å"those based on usefulness (contacts), on pleasure (drinking buddies), and on a shared pursuit of virtue – the highest form of all† (Akst, 24). Our friendship developed from shared goals and dreams that we aspired to achieve in the future. The only contrasting aspect that existed between my cousin and I was our preferred professions. My co usin preferred a business career. He was a self-proclaimed businessperson and believed that business was the only key that could unlock his fortunes. On the contrary, I had education-oriented goals. I aimed at working hard in school to secure good grades that would qualify me to attend top ranking universities in the country. We however shared common goals despite the different paths that we chose to our respective success. A reflection, ten years later, of our friendship echoes Akst’s point that friendship built on shared pursuit of virtue is the highest form of all existing types of friendship basis. (Akst, 24) Advantages of having friends in the society Wilson in his article addressed the positive implications of friendship. According to Wilson, â€Å"living in a society of friends has many advantages. Friendship can moderate our behavior† and â€Å"friends help us establish and maintain norms and can tell us if we are running off when others do not notice, will no t break the news, or lack the necessary credibility† (in Akst, 26). In any given friendship, there exists a common trait. Personal traits among true friends are always in accord in terms of moral beliefs, ethical standards and political or religious affiliations. The concept of moderation of character in friendship was demonstrated through our relationship. Based on our contrasting success strategies, my cousin opted to venture into business while I pursued my undergraduate studies. Over the years, my cousin equipped himself with versatile entrepreneurial skills while I concentrated on my studies. Within a period of two years while I was in college, my cousin was able to establish and run a successful business firm. In his part, my cousin challenged my strategy of success. He argued that I did not have to finish college in order to own a business. My cousin reckoned that I could continue with my studies while operating a small business venture. He was able to instill in me the art and skills of a young entrepreneur while I was still pursuing my childhood dream of becoming a scholar. After considering his advice, I started supplying the college’s administration with stationeries and later expanded my market to cover the entire college and its environs. It was through our friendship that my cousin moderated my obsession with academic studies and established a renewed perspective of business in my character. Friendship concepts overlooked by the author Misunderstandings in friendships In his argument, Akst failed to mention that friendship is not always perfect. His analysis of the concept of friendship overlooked mistakes and misunderstanding among friends. In my personal opinion, mistakes and misunderstanding serve to strengthen friendship. In my relationship with my cousin, we have had

Opposition for The NHGRA Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Opposition for The NHGRA - Research Paper Example It discloses that the Native Hawaiians have been conferred with the right to reorganize their local governing entity that could work for their common welfare (Aleksandra, p1). The bill has been regarded a controversial legislation that appears to be a center point for hot debates for last years. Most of the Republicans voted against the bill including the Republican governor Linda Lingle expressed the reservations against the bill. Lingle pointed out that there are many unbelievable and impractical amendments included in the law. Two congressmen Doc Hastings and Tom McClintock also opposed the bill and registered their opposition to the passing of the amendment to NGHRA (Duncan, p4). The opponents of the bill took the stance that they do not regard Congress as authority to reorganize people of different ethnicities and races into different sovereign nations especially when the community has no history of separate self-governance. There is an important point raised by the opposing congressmen that the creation of such independent entity would not be in long-term favor of the country because it will set an example for the other ethnic groups and nations and will encourage them to demand similar treatment. They opposed the bill also because it establishes a government on a racial basis (Joshua, p1). The congressmen have expressed their reservations regarding the amendments of the bill as they have observed several flaws in the bill. They also claim that it is a racist bill that poses serious threats to Americans as well as Hawaiians because it takes away the property rights from the Hawaiians and their legal heirs and singles out them on the basis of their origin. It has been demonstrated that the Hawaiian government will have complete sovereignty including ordinary tort and contract lawsuit but this move is not in favor of the people of Hawaii. The bill divides the people of a nation on the basis of their race and accord and bestows different rights.